Giving In
by Seereth
Summary: By the end of sixth year, Lily had begun to reconsider James Potter. By the beginning of seventh, she definitely had. [JamesxLily, slightly fluffy]
1. Default Chapter

A/N: This is a year old, actually. It's kind of sad it took me this long to post it. Before someone mentions it, I wanted the ending to be as abrupt as it seems to be. Or at least, as I hope it is. That's on purpose. 

Disclaimer: The world and characters used in the fanfiction are copyright J.K. Rowling and her publishers. No profit is being made.

Giving In

**Part I: **_Fall – 1977_

By Seereth****

In seventh year, Lily said no (again) the first time James asked her to spend Hogsmeade with him. He asked her again a month (about) later, and this time she considered it.

"Where would we go?" she asked. There was an almost embarrassing flame of hope in James's eyes.

"Well, I didn't want to set anything, because I wasn't sure where you'd like to go…But, um, the Three Broomsticks, definitely." He paused and looked hopefully at her. "First or last or sometime in between."

_Well,_ she thought a little helplessly, _he _is_ much better this year. _"Okay."

His smile was a good deal less confident than it usually was, and Lily half expected him to say "thank you" or something. Much to her relief, he didn't, so she went to the tower, and he went to Quidditch practice.

"Well it was about _time_," said Rachael Joie, who had been chasing after James since their third year. Emmeline Vance agreed, though her congratulations were considerably more sincere. Of course, Emmeline, Lily knew, saw the glances Sirius threw at James every now and then and Rachael didn't. She also thought James was a bit of a prat, a judgment Lily usually shared and had only begun to reconsider this year.

"Where will you go?" Emmeline asked her quietly when they were going over their last bit of Charms homework in the library. Lily shrugged.

"I go the impression we're sort of going to wing it," she said. "I'm sure we'll go to Three Broomsticks, though."

Emmeline nodded. "There's a new music store," she suggested. "You might try that."

"Thanks," Lily said. "You know, he's much…nicer this year."

Emmeline grinned at her. "I still wouldn't go out with him for all the Galleons in the world."

_What about Gideon Prewett?_ Lily thought, but didn't say. _I bet you'd go out with him in a second, Emmie._

Lily was looking forward to Saturday more than she admitted to anyone, and the week couldn't seem to decide on a pace. Wednesday dragged along, but Thursday felt like it hadn't happened at all. She found she wasn't very hungry Saturday morning, much to her chagrin and Emmeline's amusement.

"Stop snickering," she hissed at her friend as she tried to get down a mouthful of bacon. "It _isn't helping_."

"You better just go, darling," Emmeline said, eating her own breakfast neatly and efficiently. "I have the most horrible suspicion that if you eat anymore, you'll throw up all over him. Go on. Sirius," Lily heard her friend ask in a distracting tone of voice, "Why do the Gryffindors get better food? Are the house elves biased in your favor or something?"

James was already by the door, looking like he was trying to appear self-confident. _He's doing that thing with his hair again,_ she thought with a mental groan. _Am I going to survive this?_ And then, _At least he doesn't have a corsage._

"Emmie – Emmeline Vance, you know her, she's in our year - suggested we try the new music store in Hogsmeade," Lily said when she reached him. "I think there's a mixture of Muggle and wizard music there, and I haven't been." She smiled. "Unless you'd come up with another idea."

James nodded. "Sirius suggested it too, actually. I was going to ask _you_ but since you said it first…" he grinned and shrugged. "Think it was a conspiracy?"

Lily was relieved he wasn't being nervous again, and grinned back a little. "Are you accusing Emmeline of having Slytherin tendencies?"

They started to walk. "Well, you know those Ravenclaws," he said. "One step away…"

"Insulting her friends is not the way to a girl's heart, James Potter," Lily said cheerfully. "And if you don't stop this moment, I'll head right back to the castle."

She hadn't meant it seriously, but apparently being refused so many times had made James rather paranoid about her. "Don't go," he said softly and almost…solemnly, which confused her a little – but not nearly so much as she'd expected.

"I was kidding, James," she said, raising her eyebrows and James flushed. "I'm sure you knew that, however," she continued in a louder tone. "What did you think of our Charms essay? Or don't you have to take it? I've forgotten."

"It isn't one of my N.E.W.T.s courses," James answered. "And truthfully, I'm not all that fond of Charms. I didn't _dislike_ it, and I know it's useful. It's just…not quite my thing."

"Funny," Lily said. "Charms is my best course. Ollivander said it might be when he gave me my wand." She turned to face James for a moment. "I guess he was right."

"I'm told he usually is," James said. "Look – is that it? Right there?" Lily squinted in the direction of his pointing finger and shrugged.

"Look's like it," she said. "Looks like a music store, walks…never mind."

She found the worshipful look in James's eyes to be rather good to her ego. It seemed to say, "I have no idea of the meaning of what you just said, but your very strangeness makes you perfection incarnate." Lily found it very, very difficult to resist humoring – though it didn't feel like it was _just_ humoring – a person (she squashed the Emmeline-voice that cackled hysterically in her head at that) who looked at her with such an expression. Still, there was a sneaking suspicion that if she had too much of it, she'd get equally tired of that look. _I'm sure if he spent enough time around me, he…maybe?_ Shaking her head, she followed James into the store.


	2. Summer

A/N: Part two. Still fluffy. 

Disclaimer: The world and characters used in the fanfiction are property of J.K. Rowling. I am merely borrowing them.

Giving In

**Part II: **_Summer – 1978_

By Seereth

Lily discovered that one of James's worst qualities was his stubborn insistence that packing could be done five minutes before he left. If he wasn't perhaps _precisely_ that bad – and Emmeline frequently reminded her that he wasn't - well, he was pretty damn close. Or, at least, closer than she wanted him to be. They'd never been late to anything terribly important (one of the not so minor miracles of the world) but Lily couldn't help worrying that they'd miss the Leaving Feast or the carriages or something.

It wasn't an unreasonable worry either. Well, an _entirely_ unreasonable worry…

She wasn't as anxious this time as she'd been before Christmas, when James had quite literally left his packing to the morning they were leaving, and they'd almost missed the train. Lily, Sirius, and Remus had been helping him pack and they'd still only just made it.

She wasn't helping this time though, partly because she felt like being lazy and partly because James was wearing a very tight pair of jeans and Lily was, well, female and his girlfriend. _I could sell tickets to this,_ she thought dreamily, ogling him with great enthusiasm.

There was an ominous popping sound from one of the parcels beside the trunk; Lily had just enough time to roll away and off the bed before the firework exploded in front of where her nose had been. "Ow," she said plaintively.

"Sorry, Lily," James said guiltily. "I don't know…the firework must've reacted with something else in the box." He looked worriedly at her when she didn't respond for a few moments. Words weren't usually a problem for Lily.

She'd landed on something. It felt like it was small and square and…Lily thought she knew exactly what it was as, and dug her hand under her back. "James," she said, holding it up, one eyebrow raised.

"Er…" said James, blushing furiously.

Lily opened it. She saw precisely what she had expected to, and yet was tremendously surprised. "I may assume this is a proposal?"

"Uh…" James told her eloquently, his face glowing. Lily thought they could have used him for light if the sun disappeared suddenly.

"Well, I accept," she said brightly and slipped the ring on her finger. Or tried too – it was very hard to put on a ring when you were suddenly being hugged very overenthusiastically by James Potter, especially since his hair got practically everywhere, and he was kissing anything within reach at the same time.

Apparently there were benefits to being a Quidditch player.

Or, at least, to being the girlfriend of one.

_Oh no, _thought Lily, _I hope he won't be packing for out honeymoon the morning of our wedding._


End file.
